We couldn’t find a simple, clean,
beautiful mechanical keyboard that
we truly loved. So we created the CODE keyboard.
It’s the result of a collaboration between Weyman Kwong of WASD Keyboards, and Jeff “Coding Horror” Atwood.
Two guys that love keyboards. Maybe a little too much.

SWITCHES

CHERRY MX GREEN Nothing says "mechanical" more than a satisfying click with each keystroke. The Cherry MX Green mechanical switches provide just that with solid actuation force similar to that of the revered buckling spring switch of IBM Model M keyboards.The MX greens produce a crisp, clean sounding click with a great tactile feel.

CHERRY MX CLEAR Ultra-rare Cherry MX Clear mechanical keyswitches are the heart of the CODE keyboard. These switches are unique in the Cherry line because they combine solid actuation force with quiet, non-click activation, and a nice tactile bump on every keystroke. These hard to find switches deliver a superior typing experience over cheap rubber dome keyboards – without deafening your neighbors in the process.

CHERRY MX BROWNThe wildly popular Cherry MX Brown mechanical keyswitches are now offered for the CODE keyboard. These switches are very balanced for typing or gaming excellence. They combine medium actuation force with quiet, non-click activation, and a nice tactile bump on every keystroke. These renowned switches deliver a superior typing experience over cheap rubber dome keyboards – without deafening your neighbors in the process.

CHERRY MX BLUEYou'll love the satisfying click of the Cherry MX Blue mechanical keyswitches. These switches are very balanced for typing or gaming excellence. They combine medium actuation force with a satisfying tactile-click activation on every keystroke. These renowned switches deliver a superior typing experience over cheap rubber dome keyboards.

KEY ROLLOVER

We know you live and die by keyboard shortcuts. We do too. On the CODE keyboard, up to six keys can be pressed at once, which is known as 6-Key USB Rollover. Furthermore, Ctrl, Alt, and Shift do not count towards these six keys, making it possible to to hold up to nine keys simultaneously – sufficient for even the most arcane keyboard shortcuts. And if you really need it, N-Key Rollover is available over PS/2 with the included adapter.

CONSTRUCTION

The CODE keyboard is built to last through years of service.

All of the keyswitches are mounted to a steel backplate for a rock solid feel while typing. How do you know it’s solid? Because it weighs 2.42 pounds. However, please do not use the CODE keyboard as a weapon. Unless you have no other choice.

We didn’t skimp on what you can’t see, either. A dual layer PCB provides strong solder joints if you want to modify this keyboard yourself.

BACKLIGHTING

Clean, beautiful white LED backlighting means you can see your keyboard in even the lowest light conditions. We’ve also painted the steel backplate underneath the keys white to provide perfectly even light dispersion. Don’t care for backlighting? No problem. Enable or disable the backlight with a simple keypress, or select among seven brightness levels, anywhere from barely-there dim to daylight bright. Onboard memory saves your backlighting preferences, even if the keyboard is disconnected or the computer is turned off.

We chose a standard Helvetica font for the keys, because the classics never go out of style. We’ve carefully positioned the symbols on each individual key so they are evenly lit by the LED underneath.

DESIGN

The CODE keyboard is designed to be timeless – but modern and unobtrusive as well. We custom molded the case to be as minimalist as we could get away with. You won’t find any text or stickers on this keyboard, just small bezels and a classic angled design. This keyboard fits wherever you need it to go, and looks great doing it.

We paid just as much attention to the bottom of the keyboard as we did the top. Large rubber pads provide plenty of grip. We also added custom rubber coated flip out feet with matching angled rubber pads at the front. This is one keyboard that won’t slide around on you no matter how furiously you type.

Subtle 1mm LED indicator lights let you know when Caps, Num, or Scroll are locked without blinding you in the process, while keeping the case design clean and uncluttered. A textured case surface resists fingerprints and hairline scratches, too.

FLEXIBILITY

The CODE keyboard is as flexible as you are:

Do you prefer QWERTY, Dvorak, or Colemak?

Are you on a Mac, and need to swap Alt with Command?

Are you a gamer who wishes you could disable the Windows key? Wouldn’t it be nice if the useless scroll lock key and scroll lock indicator could be a Windows key lock function instead?

Do you think the Caps Lock key is pointless, and would be more useful as Ctrl?

All this and more can be configured via a row of DIP switches on the back of the keyboard.

MULTIMEDIA

Lots of keyboards have multimedia keys, but almost none of them do it right. Either they require weird hand contortions to use, or they tack on a bunch of extra unnecessary buttons and knobs all over the keyboard in strange places.

Our solution is more elegant. On the CODE keyboard, the Fn key replaces the Menu key (provided you’ve enabled it via the switches on the back of the keyboard), and moves the media shortcuts to the navigation cluster. This configuration allows you to comfortably and logically access multimedia shortcuts with one hand – pressing Page Up to turn up the volume just makes sense. If you forget which keys do what, we’ve helpfully printed subtle glyphs on the front of each key, facing you, so you can see which keys have secondary functions.

All this and more can be configured via a row of DIP switches on the back of the keyboard.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

Rather than a weird custom cable, or even worse, a permanently attached cable, the CODE keyboard uses a detachable standard Micro USB cable that allows you to detach the keyboard without unplugging it from your computer. You can plug your keyboard in wherever a standard Micro USB cable is available.

The 5-way cable routing channels under the keyboard let you decide where you want to route the cable for a seamless look. We’ve even rounded the corners to keep your cable kink-free – and a cable strap is included to tidy up any extra.

Yes, we currently offer clear switch CODE keyboards in UK, Swedish, and German layouts.

Do you have extra/replacement keys for the CODE?

We do not have any replacement/add-on keycap sets for the CODE. WASD Keyboards can make custom keys that can fit the CODE, but the legends will not be illuminated as our keys do not work with backlighting.

Do you have any distributors outside of the US?

Not at this time. We will work with distributors in the future to provide easier access to our keyboards for our international customers.